Hawks rock solid heading into 2014

Horizon boys basketball sits atop Oregon 1A standings

Horizon Christian School varsity boys basketball team notched wins last week against Dayton and Blanchet Catholic to finish the year on a high note, riding a five-game winning streak and ranked 1A No. 1. The games, both at Dayton, ended 69-60 and 59-53 in favor of the Hawks, who have a week off from competition before taking on the Hood River Valley Eagles in a Jan. 3 game (7 p.m. at HRVHS).

Jared Davis and Mason Bloomster teamed up with 21 points each in last Friday’s win over 3A West Valley League’s Dayton High School. The duo, aided by Matt Totaro who had 17 points, kept the Hawks in the game despite numerous lead changes and a first half that ended with Horizon up by only a point. A strong third quarter outscoring Datyon by seven gave the Hawks the edge they needed to carry through with the win. Micah Engel had six and RJ Hicks had four in the game as well.

The Hawks continued their tough preseason schedule against larger-school teams with a game Saturday against Blanchet Catholic of the 3A PacWest Conference. Led by Matt Totaro, four players scored double-digits in the 59-53 win; Totaro had a game-high 19, while Davis had 13 and Bloomster and Engel had 11 each. Notably, Davis was 3-6 from three-point range, while Totaro made 10 of 13 from the free-throw line to help secure the win.

Another strong third quarter gave the team the boost it needed. This time, the Hawks trailed 33-28 at halftime, but outscored Blanchet 16-8 in the third to take the lead and seal a comeback victory.

The team plays three more nonleague games (Jan. 3 at HRVHS, Jan. 4 home vs. Triad and Jan. 8 vs. Gaston at the Moda Center/Rose Garden) before starting a 14-game league stretch.